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There has been a drop in the number of full-time GPs in London over the past twelve months, despite a pledge by the Conservatives to increase the number of family doctors.
Figures released on Friday show there are now 40 fewer than a year ago, suggesting the workload for GPs is growing as staffing levels decline, putting more pressure on surgeries and leading to longer waits for patients.
In November 2019, the Conservatives committed to delivering 6,000 more GPs in England by 2024-25, but the latest figures show that there are only 2,464 extra doctors in local practices now compared with December 2019.
And it is something the Liberal Democrats are keen to tackle; as part of their election pledges, they’ve announced a five-year plan to give patients a legal right to see a GP within a week or 24 hours if in urgent need.
So, what will it take to fix the state of GP appointments in London and further afield?
In this episode of The Standard podcast, our health reporter Daniel Keane explains why GP numbers are dropping in the capital, and how the three main political parties are planning to fix the issues plaguing GP surgeries.
In Part Two of this episode, our acting Culture Editor Nick Clark chats with Sotheby’s Deputy Chairman Andre Zlattinger about their major new art exhibition, London: An Artistic Crossroads with the Evening Standard as media partner.
Andre describes some of the artwork featuring in the exhibition, and tells Nick why he thinks London should celebrate art in all forms even more.
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